Well, compared to this time last year that saying very much rings true.

Blues are going into the season settled, with a structure and clear purpose.

No one quite knew where all the pieces of the jigsaw were going to fall last summer after Premier League relegation, Alex McLeish’s walk-out and the crisis that engulfed Carson Yeung threw everything up into the air.

As long as there are no nasty surprises towards the end of the transfer window from Hong Kong, Blues have reason to be optimistic about the new campaign.

They hit five goals for the second friendly running and looked like a team that carries a huge, clinical threat, from various parts of the pitch, whilst also accepting that they can’t just play fast and loose, but have to be secure too.

Granted Plymouth only just stayed in the Football League last season and will probably struggle again this term.

Blues put them to the sword not quite in the same devastating, sustained dynamic fashion they disposed of Bury 5-1 the previous Tuesday, but with a professional alacrity.

Nathan Redmond fired the first two goals in the opening half (34, 41 minutes), Chris Burke nodded an easy third (55) and then Peter Lovenkrands showed his classy finishing ability (59, 64).

Clark revealed that he actually wasn’t too enamoured with his team until they talked things over at half-time.

“What I like about them is that in the first-half we didn’t do what we wanted to, but we still got ourselves in a position where we created three or four good opportunities and we scored two goals,” he said.

“We spoke at half-time that there were one or two areas that we needed to brush up on, and we did in the second-half

“In the first 20 minutes of the second-half we upped the tempo and cranked up the quality of our play and scored another three really good goals, and created other opportunities.

“I was looking for us to play more front foot, in terms of pressurising Plymouth. I believe if you do that then we’ve got players who, if they get lots of the ball, will produce.”

Stephen Carr and Colin Doyle returned to an otherwise unchanged starting line-up which could well be the one Clark goes into battle with initially this season.

Redmond on the left flank has given Blues even more of a dangerous forward thrust and arguably better balance. He has not lost his eye for goal, either, another plus for the team.

As Burke causes problems on the other side – he teed up Redmond for a fine opener following a slick move – and Hayden Mullins anchors it all in the middle, it’s difficult to totally clamp down on Blues.

Lovenkrands has been the beneficiary of this approach play, again nabbing a brace and looking dangerous in and around the penalty area. And Marlon King’s diligent work in setting him and others up without gaining reward in terms of goals himself is, like last season, a feature that helps knit the unit.